Digging in: Toward a more just urban garden land policy
Surging interest in urban agriculture has prompted cities across North America to adopt policies that give gardeners access to publicly owned land. However, if not carefully designed, these policies can exacerbate existing racial inequities. Drawing on theories of urban and environmental justice, w...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Lyson Center for Civic Agriculture and Food Systems
2023-08-01
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| Series: | Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://foodsystemsjournal.org/index.php/fsj/article/view/1177 |
| _version_ | 1827862373142102016 |
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| author | Hannah Ramer Kristen Nelson |
| author_facet | Hannah Ramer Kristen Nelson |
| author_sort | Hannah Ramer |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
Surging interest in urban agriculture has prompted cities across North America to adopt policies that give gardeners access to publicly owned land. However, if not carefully designed, these policies can exacerbate existing racial inequities. Drawing on theories of urban and environmental justice, we use a contextualized case comparison to explore the radical potential and practical constraints of garden land policies at two distinct institutions: the City of Minneapolis and the independently elected Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. Based on participant observation, document review, and interviews with a range of policy actors, we argue that what appear to be minor, common-sense policy details systematically shape who benefits from the garden land policies, sometimes in surprising ways. Compared to the City, the Park Board goes substantially further in addressing racial equity. Furthermore, though both cases included public participation, we argue that the more intensive participation during the Park Board policy development process—particularly in determining the details—was pivotal in crafting a policy that reduced barriers to racial equity. The present study contributes to the growing scholarship on urban agriculture and environmental governance and offers concrete insights for actors working toward more just policies.
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| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T13:54:15Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c0665e14c9b64fc8a19fe025a55646b9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2152-0801 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T13:54:15Z |
| publishDate | 2023-08-01 |
| publisher | Lyson Center for Civic Agriculture and Food Systems |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development |
| spelling | doaj.art-c0665e14c9b64fc8a19fe025a55646b92023-08-22T19:00:09ZengLyson Center for Civic Agriculture and Food SystemsJournal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development2152-08012023-08-0112410.5304/jafscd.2023.124.013Digging in: Toward a more just urban garden land policyHannah Ramer0Kristen Nelson1University of MinnesotaUniversity of Minnesota Surging interest in urban agriculture has prompted cities across North America to adopt policies that give gardeners access to publicly owned land. However, if not carefully designed, these policies can exacerbate existing racial inequities. Drawing on theories of urban and environmental justice, we use a contextualized case comparison to explore the radical potential and practical constraints of garden land policies at two distinct institutions: the City of Minneapolis and the independently elected Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. Based on participant observation, document review, and interviews with a range of policy actors, we argue that what appear to be minor, common-sense policy details systematically shape who benefits from the garden land policies, sometimes in surprising ways. Compared to the City, the Park Board goes substantially further in addressing racial equity. Furthermore, though both cases included public participation, we argue that the more intensive participation during the Park Board policy development process—particularly in determining the details—was pivotal in crafting a policy that reduced barriers to racial equity. The present study contributes to the growing scholarship on urban agriculture and environmental governance and offers concrete insights for actors working toward more just policies. http://foodsystemsjournal.org/index.php/fsj/article/view/1177Urban AgricultureUrban Land AccessMunicipal GovernanceLocal PolicyFood JusticeLand Justice |
| spellingShingle | Hannah Ramer Kristen Nelson Digging in: Toward a more just urban garden land policy Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development Urban Agriculture Urban Land Access Municipal Governance Local Policy Food Justice Land Justice |
| title | Digging in: Toward a more just urban garden land policy |
| title_full | Digging in: Toward a more just urban garden land policy |
| title_fullStr | Digging in: Toward a more just urban garden land policy |
| title_full_unstemmed | Digging in: Toward a more just urban garden land policy |
| title_short | Digging in: Toward a more just urban garden land policy |
| title_sort | digging in toward a more just urban garden land policy |
| topic | Urban Agriculture Urban Land Access Municipal Governance Local Policy Food Justice Land Justice |
| url | http://foodsystemsjournal.org/index.php/fsj/article/view/1177 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT hannahramer diggingintowardamorejusturbangardenlandpolicy AT kristennelson diggingintowardamorejusturbangardenlandpolicy |